Asenjo Lobos C et al. – Clozapine was somewhat more
efficacious than zotepine. Also, inefficacy of treatment led more frequently to leaving the studies early in the risperidone group suggesting a certain higher efficacy of clozapine. The
principal drawback of clozapine were its adverse effects which lead to significantly higher numbers of participants leaving the studies early compared to olanzapine and risperidone. Clozapine
was associated with more sedation and hypersalivation than olanzapine, quetiapine and risperidone and with more seizures than olanzapine and risperidone. There was a higher incidence of white
blood cell decrease in clozapine groups than olanzapine and more weight gain than in risperidone groups. On the other hand clozapine produced fewer movement disorder than risperidone and less
prolactin increase than olanzapine, quetiapine and zotepine.

Miyake N et al. – Excessive striatal presynaptic
dopamine is linked to the emergence of acute psychotic symptoms and to their response to treatment in schizophrenia. Understanding the etiology of this dysregulation and its consequences on
the rest of the circuitry is important for future drug development.

De Caterina AR et al. – Thee available evidence does
not support the use of beta–blockers (BBs) as first–line drugs in the treatment of uncomplicated hypertension. It remains to be determined whether newer BBs, such as nebivolol and
carvedilol, will be more effective than older compounds in improving cardiovascular prognosis.

Ram CVS – Much of the unfavorable data revealed in the
recent meta–analyses were gleaned from studies involving nonvasodilating, traditional (beta) blockers, such as atenolol. However, findings with traditional (beta) blockers may not be
extrapolated to other members of the class, particularly those agents with vasodilatory activity. Vasodilatory (beta) blockers (i.e., carvedilol and nebivolol) reduce blood pressure in large
part through reducing systemic vascular resistance rather than by decreasing cardiac output, as is observed with traditional (beta) blockers. It is time for a reexamination of the clinical
evidence for the use of (beta) blockers in hypertension, recognizing that there are patients for whom (beta) blockers, particularly those with vasodilatory actions, are an appropriate
treatment option.

Engbaek M et al. – The objective was to estimate the
effect of addition of low–dose spironolactone to previous antihypertensive therapy in patients with resistant hypertension. Patients had 25 to 50 mg of spironolactone once daily added
to the treatment of hypertension that was uncontrolled despite previous treatment with three classes of antihypertensive drugs. The effect on blood pressure was estimated by office
measurements together with serum potassium and adverse effects. Low–dose spironolactone is highly effective when added to previous treatment of patients with resistant
hypertension.

Macaluso M et al. – Since the patent of
chlordiazepoxide nearly 50 years ago, benzodiazepines are one of the most widely prescribed psychotropic medications worldwide. As a class, benzodiazepines share the following properties:
anxiolytic, hypnotic, sedative, anticonvulsant, amnestic, and muscle relaxant. These effects are mediated through agonist activity at GABA–A receptors, where endogenous GABA binding has
inhibitory effects.

Emril DR et al. – Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a
neuropathic pain condition affecting the face. It has a significant impact on the quality of life and physical function of patients. Evidence suggests that the likely etiology is vascular
compression of the trigeminal nerve leading to focal demyelination and aberrant neural discharge. Secondary causes such as multiple sclerosis or brain tumors can also produce symptomatic TN.
Treatment must be individualized to each patient. Carbamazepine remains the drug of choice in the first–line treatment of TN.

Nord M et al. – The positron emission tomography (PET)–defined interval for optimal antipsychotic drug treatment has been implemented in the evolvement of dose
recommendations for classical as well as more recently developed drugs. Another consistent finding is lower D2–occupancy during treatment with the prototype atypical antipsychotic
clozapine. The mechanism of action(MoA) of clozapine remains to be fully understood and may include nondopaminergic mechanisms. A general limitation is that currently available
PET–radioligands are not selective for any of the five dopamine receptor subtypes. Current attempts at developing such ligands may provide the tools required to refine further the MoA
of antipsychotic drugs.